NI Health: Resident doctors strike over pay

Dr Steven Montgomery, chairman of the BMA’s Northern Ireland Resident Doctors Committee, said: “Better pay and better working conditions in other countries mean we are losing doctors when we need to do everything we can to keep them working here.”

“The growing patient population without the necessary number of doctors to meet this demand and pressure is a perfect storm for our health services,” he said.

“We didn’t think we would have to go on strike so soon after the last walkouts, but we were left with no choice.

“At this time, it is imperative that the government engage urgently and meaningfully and provide a credible way to avoid strike action,” Montgomery said.

Farren added: “Doctors in Northern Ireland are underpaid in these islands and we have been working with the Minister and the Department of Health to try to find ‘fair pay’ to fix this.”

Unfortunately, despite all this, we have been forced into an unprecedented strike after years of negotiations over pay equality.